Spreadsheet
Ratings and Reviews of Spreadsheet and Word Processing Software |
Spreadsheet and Word Processing Software
Frankly,
we're
surprised
you're
here!
The
predominance
of Office
Suites
(like
Microsoft
Office,
Sun's
StarOffice,
IBM's
Lotus
SmartSuite
and
Corel's
WordPerfect
Office)
has made
purchase
of "stand
alone"
word
processing
and
spreadsheet
software
almost a
thing of
the past
(you can
see our
review
Office
Suites at Productivity Software Review).
However,
if you
don't need
all of the
applications
included
in an
Office
Suite -
read on.
Due to
Office
Suite
market
predominance
(and
aggressive
"package"
pricing),
you won't
find a lot
of choice
in "stand
alone"
word
processing
and
spreadsheet
software
purchases.
And, if
you ever
DO need
the other
applications,
you'll end
up paying
even more
for the
"total
package".
So before
you decide
to go this
route -
think
through
what you
need not
only
today, but
in the
future as
well.
However,
with that
said, the
companies
that are
in there
competing
with the
"big guy(s)"
must
believe
that they
have
something
new and/or
different
to offer -
maybe just
price -
but
they're
hanging in
there, so
they
deserve a
look.
Our
reviews
follow -
remember
to check
out
Productivity Software Review
before you
make your
final
decision.
Some
vendors
offer more
than one
package in
this
category.
We'll
review
them in
table
format
within
that
vendor's
detailed
review.
Spreadsheet and Word Processing Software Review
Spreadsheet and Word Processing
Software*
(Rankings
- best, 5
symbols,
worst, 1
symbol)
|
Company
|
Best
For* |
Simplicity |
Cost |
Productivity
Gain |
Usability |
Compatibility |
Support |
Features
|
Overall
Rating |
|
Enteractive
|
A,R,P |
¹¹¹¹ |
$$$$1/2 |
¹¹¹¹ |
@@@@ |
YYY |
pp |
iii1/2 |
%%%1/2 |
|
Mariner
Software
|
A,R,P |
¹¹¹¹ |
$$$$1/2 |
¹¹¹¹ |
@@@@ |
YYY+ |
ppp1/2 |
iiii |
%%%% |
|
Microsoft
|
A,R,P |
¹¹¹¹ |
$$$ |
¹¹¹¹ |
@@@@ |
YYYY |
pppp1/2 |
iiii1/2 |
%%%%1/2 |
|
Microvision
Development
|
A,R,P |
¹¹¹¹ |
$$$$ |
¹¹¹¹ |
@@@@ |
YY1/2 |
ppp1/2 |
iiii |
%%%% |
|
Synergy
|
A,R,P |
¹¹¹1/2 |
$$$1/2 |
¹¹¹¹ |
@@@@ |
YYYY |
ppp1/2 |
iiii1/2 |
%%%% |
* A =
Amateur,
R =
Rookie,
P =
Pro
Enteractive
Simplicity
-
¹¹¹¹
Xess is
easy to
install
and begin
using.
Cost
Effectiveness
-
$$$$1/2
Xess is
priced at
$49.95.
|
Software |
Price |
O/S
Supported |
Overview |
Features |
Compatibility |
|
Xess |
$49.95 |
Red
Hat
SusSE,
Debian,
Caldera,
Turbo
Linux |
Spreadsheet
Software |
-
Designed
for
X
Windows
and
Motif
-
Support
complex
calculations,
data
manipulation
and
reporting
-
Full
range
of
mathematical,
statistical,
financial,
matrix
and
string
functions
-
Reports
and
graphs
|
Microsoft
Excel,
Lotus
1-2-3 |
Productivity
Gain -
¹¹¹¹
If you've
migrated
to Linux,
you'll
need a
spreadsheet
program!
Usability
-
@@@@
Xess works
hard to
bring
Windows "usability"
to Linux.
Compatibility
-
YYY
Xess is
designed
for the
Linux
environment
only.
Durability/Reliability
-
pp
Customer
support?
If you
"click" on
their
customer
service
button on
their web
site you
get a
blank page
with
"customer
service"
on it!
HMMMM!
So, your
only
option is
to go to
the
"contact
us" page
that has
an "all
other
information"
email
address
and a
corporate
phone
number
(non-800).
Features
Functions
-
iii1/2
All the
functions
you'd
expect in
a
spreadsheet
program -
targeted
more for
complex
calculations
for
science
and
engineering
applications.
Overall
Rating -
%%%1/2
A cheap
Linux
spreadsheet
solution.
You might
look into
Sun's
StarOffice
(for only
$30 more
you get
word
processing
and
presentation
software)
or Think
Free's
Office
(same
price and
you get
word
processing,
spreadsheet
and
presentation
software
as well as
a one year
online
file
storage
service).
Mariner
Software
Simplicity
-
¹¹¹¹
Mariner's
Write, Calc, MacJournal, Montage and Desktop Poet applications
are easy to
install
and use.
Cost
Effectiveness
-
$$$$1/2
Mariner
Software pricing is detailed in the column below.
|
Software |
Price |
O/S
Supported |
Overview |
Features |
Compatibility |
|
Write v3.7.2 |
$59.95 CD, $49.95
download, $149.95 5 pack, $49.95 lifetime upgrade, $24.95 upgrade
Mariner Pak - Write and Calc $89.95 box, $79.95 download,
$249.95 5 licenses, $99.90 lifetime upgrade
Mariner Mac Suite - Montage, MacJournal4, Write, Calc,
Desktop Poet $189.95 for the download, $199.95 for the CD |
Macintosh
OS
9.0
or
OS X |
Word
Processing
Software |
-
Headers,
footers,
footnotes
and
endnotes
-
Blue
background
to
enhance
screen
visibility
-
Save
as
PDF
-
Mail
merge
-
Spell
checker
-
Uses
less
disk
space
and
memory
(2MB)
-
Supports
multiple
international
languages
-
80,000+
word
spelling
dictionary
-
Font panel
-
Find dialog
-
Spelling dialog with relevance rating
-
Insert symbol dialog
-
Hierarchical font menu
-
"Show only Roman fonts" option - improves WYSIWYG font menu
performance
-
Page numbering
-
Text color and background color buttons
-
Live resizing in the main window and others
-
Multiple language localization
-
Multiple language dictionaries
|
PDF,RTF,
ASCII,
Microsoft
Word |
|
Calc v5.5.1 |
$49.95 download,
$59.95 CD, $149.95 5 pack, $24.95 upgrade, $49.95 lifetime upgrade
Mariner Pak - Write and Calc $89.95 box, $79.95 download,
$249.95 5 licenses, $99.90 lifetime upgrade
Mariner Mac Suite - Montage, MacJournal4, Write, Calc,
Desktop Poet $189.95 for the download, $199.95 for the CD |
Macintosh
OS
9.0
or
OS X |
Spreadsheet
software |
-
Uses
less
disk
space
and
memory
(1.5
MB)
-
Supports
scripts
in
multiple
languages (Kanji)
-
32,000
rows
by
32,000
columns
-
80,000+
word
spelling
dictionary
-
140
functions, named ranges, split and freeze window panes, print preview,
find and replace, sorting, auto sum, protected worksheets and cell
borders
-
Graphics and drawing tools
-
Drag and drop
-
Multiple undo feature - restore last 9 steps
|
Microsoft
Excel,
CSV,
ASCII |
|
MacJournal 4.1.3 |
$34.95 download, $39.95 CD, $139.95 5 pack, $14.95 upgrade
Mariner Mac Suite - Montage, MacJournal4, Write, Calc,
Desktop Poet $189.95 for the download, $199.95 for the CD |
Macintosh OS X 10.3.5 and above |
Journal Software |
- Supports online blogs using LiveJournal, Blogger,
Movable Type, WordPress
- 2-D Quartz rendering technology
- Nested, multiple journals and entry keywords
- Password protection and AES256 encryption
- Multiple file formats
- Rich text editing
- Search capabilities
- Print entries or send to PDF
- Spell check
- MacJournal Inspector for manipulating attributes of
entries and journals
- Audio recording and Podcasting
- Per-item attributes - background color, label,
sorting, entry template, editable, blog server
- Tabs
- Full screen mode
- Links, smileys, words recognized as you type,
including a live word count field
- AppleScript support
|
Microsoft Word, RTF, HTML, PDF |
|
Desktop Poet v 1.0 |
$14.95 download, $19.95 CD, $49.95 5 pack
Mariner Mac Suite - Montage, MacJournal4, Write, Calc,
Desktop Poet $189.95 for the download, $199.95 for the CD |
Macintosh OS X 10.2 and above
Windows 95, 98, 98SE, ME, NT 4.0, 2000, XP |
Creativity Software |
- Presents word tiles on desktop
- Compose prose by forming words into sentences or
phrases
- Lists for sports, classic movie stars, celebrities,
scientific terms
|
JPEG, TIFF, HTML |
|
Montage 1.3 |
$139.95 for the download, $149.95 for the CD, $499.95 for a
five pack Montage, MacJournal4, Write, Calc, Desktop
Poet $189.95 for the download, $199.95 for the CD |
Macintosh OS X 10.3.9 and above |
Screen Writing Software |
- Import Final Draft documents
- Includes templates for film, TV, radio
- Create script as life outline
- Submit query synopsis and script sot hundreds of
included industry contacts
- Native Cocoa, Intel ready
- Export Montage scripts to Final Draft
- Export Montage scripts to .sex format
- iScript support
|
|
|
WinJournal 1.0 |
$39.95 CD, $34.95 Download |
Windows 2000, Server 2003, XP, Vista |
Journal Software |
- Chronicle life's moments
- Blogging support
- Podcasting support
- 37 "skins"
- Full screen mode
- Statistics
- Discover Wiki links
- Journals pane
- 2-D rendering technology
- Nested, multiple journals and entry keywords
- Password protection and AES-256 encryption
|
Microsoft Word, RTF, HTML |
Productivity
Gain -
¹¹¹¹
Spreadsheet
and word
processing
programs
are "must
haves" for
any
home-based
business
environment. MacJournal is for aspiring "bloggers" and Desktop Poet is a
creativity tool for poets, writers, playwrights, screenwriters and other
"creative types".
Usability
-
@@@@
One of the
nice
features
in the
Mariner
Software
line is
the nice
background
and
easy-to-understand
interface.
Compatibility
-
YYY+
Mariner's
products (with the exception of Desktop Poet which is also Windows compatible)
are
designed
for the
Macintosh
environment
only.
Durability/Reliability
-
ppp1/2
Although
we aren't
big on
email-based
technical
support.
Mariner
Software
does it as
well as
anyone.
Their FAQ
provides
the basic
information
you'll
need and
they
promise to
reply to
your email
"in most
cases..less
than 24
hours".
Features
Functions
-
iiii
Mariner
Software's
big
differentiator
is
language
support.
If you
need to do
business
in
multiple
languages,
their
software
is a good
choice. Creative professionals will enjoy Montage (script writing),
Mac/Win Journal (journaling) and Desktop Poet.
Overall
Rating -
%%%%
As noted
above,
language
support is
the key.
Also, we
do think
that
Mariner is
attempting
to take
care of
their
customers'
technical
issues as
well as
possible
while
keeping
the cost
of their
software
down by
offering
phone-based
technical
support.
Microsoft
Simplicity
-
¹¹¹¹
Microsoft
Word and
Excel are
easy to
install
and use
(at least
that's
what
approximately
90% of the
world
seems to
think!).
Cost
Effectiveness
-
$$$
Microsoft pricing is detailed in the table below.
|
Software |
Price |
O/S
Supported |
Overview |
Features |
Compatibility |
|
Word 2004 for Mac |
$239.00, $109.00 upgrade |
Macintosh OS X 10.2.8 or later |
Word Processing Software |
- Scrapbook for text, pictures, logos
- Notebook layout view - ruled like notebook paper,
take notes, search and flag relevant info, record audio
- Soft drop shadows
- Word smart buttons - decline automatic corrections,
numbering and bulleting
|
|
|
Excel
Version
2004 |
$239.00
$109.00
upgrade |
2001
-
Macintosh
OS
System
8.1
or
later
X -
Macintosh
OS X
10.1
or
higher
|
Spreadsheet
Software |
-
Calculator
to
teach
formula
generation
-
List
manager
-
List
auto
fill
-
Charting
-
X
Version
includes
-
Auto
recover,
keyboard
shortcuts,
transparent
charts
|
FileMaker
Pro |
|
Word 2007 |
$229.00, upgrade $109.95 |
Windows XP, Vista |
Word Processing Software |
- Results-oriented user interface
- Building blocks of predefined content
- Quick Styles text and table formatting
- Document themes
- SmartArt diagrams, charging engine
- Compose and publish web logs
- Equation Builder
- Live word count
- Typographic capabilities - bulleted and number lists,
numbered list styles, fonts
- Citation Manager and Reference Builder
- Contextual spelling checker
- Tri-pane review panel
- SharePoint Server 2007 review and approval workflow
- Save document as PDF or XML Paper Specification file
- Document Inspector - detect and remove unwanted
comments, personally identifiable information, hidden text
- Digital Signature support
- Reading mode
- Open XML formats
- Document Information Panel
- Content controls
- Custom-defined schema support of the Open XML Formats
- Data binding
- Information management policies
|
|
|
Excel 2007 |
$229.00, upgrade $109.95 |
Windows XP, Vista |
Spreadsheet Software |
- Results-oriented user interface
- Supports up to 1 million rows by 16,000 columns
- Cell Styles and Table Styles galleries for formatting
- Formulas authoring includes resizable formula bar and
context-based formula autocomplete
- Predefined chart layouts and styles or manually
formatted chart components
- Page layout view
- Conditional formatting with colored gradients, data
bars and icons
- Sorting and filtering with AutoFilters
- Create a PivotTable or PivotChart
- Support for Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Analysis
Services
- With SharePoint - share spreadsheets and views with
web browser, create business dashboards
- Open XML Format support
- XML Paper Specification and PDF file format support
- Excel Services application programming interface
|
|
Productivity
Gain -
¹¹¹¹
You'll
need a
spreadsheet
at some
point.
Why not
the market
leader?
Usability
-
@@@@
Folks have
been using
this
software
for a long
time....
Compatibility
-
YYYY
Microsoft
makes
spreadsheet
and word
processing
software
for both
the
Windows
and
Macintosh
environments.
Durability/Reliability
-
pppp1/2
We really
hate
getting
through
the
initial
Microsoft
support
scripts!
With that
"venting"
over with,
their FAQ
and
knowledgebase
are both
extensive
and easy
to use and
access.
If you
need more
and have
to deal
with web
support,
you need a
Microsoft
Passport
and then
then take
you
through a
simplistic
and
irritating
set of
basic
questions.
If you
problem is
not
solved,
you can
call a
non-800
number
(you pay
toll
charges
where they
apply)
Monday
through
Friday 5
AM to 9 PM
Pacific,
Saturday
and Sunday
6 AM to 3
PM
Pacific.
Features
Functions
-
iiii1/2
Like we
stated in
the
introduction
to this
review -
probably
more
functionality
and
features
than most
folks will
ever use -
or even
WANT to
use. The 2007 versions add XML and PDF capabilities and a slick new user
interface as well as easier and more "flashy" formatting capabilities.
Overall
Rating -
%%%%1/2
O.k.,
let's
see....
If you
bought
Word and
Excel as
"stand
alone"
packages
the cost
would be
$458.00.
Office 2007 Small Business costs $449.00 and includes not only Word and Excel,
but also Accounting Express, Outlook with Business Contact Manager, PowerPoint
and Publisher.
Is there a
message
here?
Microvision
Development
Simplicity
-
¹¹¹¹
WordExpress
is easy to
install
and use.
Cost
Effectiveness
-
$$$$
WordExpress
is priced
at $49.95.
|
Software |
Price |
O/S
Supported |
Overview |
Features |
Compatibility |
|
WordExpress |
$49.95 |
Windows 3.x, 95, 98
or
NT
4.0 |
Word
Processing
Software |
-
WYSIWYG editing
-
Paragraph and character style
sheets
-
Editable page and zoom views
-
Embedded pictures
and
tables
-
Multiple
column layouts
-
Headers
and
footers
-
Borders
and
shades
-
Numbered
and
bulleted
lists
-
Mail
merge
-
Envelope
creation
-
Spell
checker
and
thesaurus
-
Customizable
tool bar
-
Context-sensitive help
-
Text frames
-
Table objects
-
Image frames
-
Clipping,
cropping and rotating
-
Drawing tools
-
Alignment
guides and grid
-
Horizontal and
vertical rules
|
|
Productivity
Gain -
¹¹¹¹
You've got
an older
Windows
system,
aren't
planning
to upgrade
and need a
word
processing
alternative
-
WordExpress
will help
you create
and print
your
documents.
Usability
-
@@@@
WordExpress
is easy to
use.
Compatibility
-
YY1/2
WordExpress
is
designed
for
Windows 3.x 95,98
and NT 4.0
only.
Durability/Reliability
-
ppp1/2
MicroVision
has
relatively
good tech
support.
A good web
site, FAQ
and
bulletin
board to
ask
questions
of other
users or
MicroVision
technical
support
personnel.
You can
also
contact
tech
support
via email
and phone
(no "800"
number so
you'll pay
long
distance
charges
where they
apply).
Features
Functions
-
iiii
A good
combination
of
features
and
functions
- most of
those
you'd get
with the
more well
known
packages.
Overall
Rating -
%%%%
O.k., if
you aren't
planning
to upgrade
those old
Windows 95
or NT 4.0
machines
and you
need a
word
processor
-
WordExpress
fits the
bill.
Synergy
Simplicity
-
¹¹¹1/2
Kaleidagraph
is
designed
for
engineering
and
technical
graphing.
It will
take some
work to
get the
most out
of this
software.
Cost
Effectiveness
-
$$$1/2
KaleidaGraph
is priced
at $199.95, $59.95
for the
upgrade.
|
Software |
Price |
O/S
Supported |
Overview |
Features |
Compatibility |
|
KaleidaGraph 4.0 |
$199.95
$59.95
upgrade, 5 users $876.95, 10 users $1,652.95 |
Windows
NT,
95,
98,
2000,
XP
Macintosh
OS
8.6,
OS X
10.1.3 |
Technical
graphing
and
analysis |
-
19
plot
types
-
Curve
fitting
-
Supports
1,000
columns
and
1
million
rows
in
each
data
window
-
ANOVA
(one
way,
two
way,
one
way
repeated
measures,
two
way
repeated
measures)
-
Nonparametric
tests,
Student
t-test,
Post
Hoc
Tests
and
descriptive
statistics
-
Macro
calculator
uses
conditional
testing,
boolean
testing,
subroutines
and
nested
loops,
1,000
step
RPN
program
capability
-
Add
lines,
arrows,
boxes,
ovals,
arcs,
polygons
and
bezier
curves
to a
plot
-
Studen-Newman-Keuls, Scheffe, Fisher's LSD post hoc tests
-
Plot options - Polar Options, Probability Options,
Histogram Options, Step Options
|
Microsoft
Excel
Export
files
as
JPG,
GIF,
TIFF,
PICT,
PNG,
BMP,
EPS
Import
JPG,
GIF,
TIFF,
PICT,
PNG,
BMP
and
EPS
files |
Productivity
Gain -
¹¹¹¹
If you
need large
scale data
manipulation
and
graphing,
KaleidaGraph
will save
you tons
of time in
producing
the charts
and graphs
you need.
Usability
-
@@@@
KaleidaGraph
strives
for
usability
but again,
expect to
take time
understanding
the unique
attributes
of this
software
to realize
its
potential.
Compatibility
-
YYYY
KaleidaGraph
operates
in both
Windows
and
Macintosh
environments.
Durability/Reliability
-
ppp1/2
Synergy
has a nice
tech
support
web site
with a
FAQ, tech
notes and
downloads
area.
Support is
via email
and
telephone
(no "800"
number,
you must
pay long
distance
charges
where
applicable).
Features
Functions
-
iiii1/2
Lots of
features
and
functions
for the
technical
or
engineering
professional.
If you
need to
manipulate
big data
sets and
graph
various
results -
this is
the
application
for you.
Overall
Rating -
%%%%
If you
need to
manipulate
lots and
lots of
data, need
to plot
and graph
it or
perform
statistical
tests -
this is
definitely
the
package
for you!
Lots of
functionality
and
"scalability"!
For more information
on Word Processing this link will prove useful:
http://www.business-software-books.us/word_processing.php
|
